5 Simple Drone Photography Tips with DJI Mini 3 Pro

[@tomapaunovic]

It's quite refreshing to get an opinion about new DJI Mini 3 Pro from an actual landscape photographer. I was struggling to get a good perspective on this one, because a lot of reviewers are not into photography at all, but you really brought me a big step closer to actually buying this drone

[@peterfritzphoto]

I agree. This was refreshing.

[@tokke4]

I have a mini 3pro and I’m not impressed by the sharpness of the fotos actually.

[@cicic5340]

It's a good beginner one

[@transikk]

@@peterfritzphotorefreshing how? He got paid to say that the drone is amazing. And it is

[@shengyetang7220]

Your garden is so nice!

[@paulcollingridge8387]

Oooooh! Getting near to 400k subscribers..... Well deserved

[@rashadb954]

I'm in LOVE with this drone. It's incredible what DJI was able to fit into such a portable and stealthy package. Thanks for the tips on panoramas. The jpg ones it produces leave much to be desired and lightroom messes up the horizon when merging the unstitched raw images that are taken during the autopano process. Looks like I just need to carefully shoot them manually. No biggie!

[@DLMVegas]

Thanks for this Nigel and you're a real photographer as well. I too do landscape and astrophotography and have just started to integrate my drone into my work.

[@nevvanclarke9225]

I now have this drone 😮..and it's wonderful..it's truly incredible for something so small. It's added another tool to my arsenal

[@colinrogers5006]

Awesome Nigel. Hope you’re recovering well from your surgery. I love how your prints so perfectly match your Lightroom screen. I still struggle with that and given how important prints are, wondered whether you can revisit getting prints correct. Thanks again

[@ldnoe]

Thankful that this video popped up on my radar. I ordered this drone with the intension of taking landscape photos to use as reference for paintings. The information you've provided helps me to better understand what I need to do to reach my desired results. Thank you so much.

[@speliotis]

Well done & Thanks for sharing your review & Ideas... Hope you're feeling better soon...

[@simons1992]

I just bought this drone yesterday and love it! Really happy to see the response from professional photographers. Thanks for another amazing video.

[@dustinpumarlo7420]

Can you do a video on your process for merging bracketed images and using Lightroom to stitch/align those to a large pano? The process intrigues me

[@richardpesce5325]

Great video Nigel. Thanks for the tips. Your Seascapes book will arrive at my home in the USA and Thursday. Looking forward to it.

[@maxencelemoine4190]

I'm not really into new cameras, new lenses (I have very old gears and I'm happy with them) but every time a new drone, especially from dji, i'm amazed and want to buy one and this one could be the one if, if... there is always a if, there were more places to fly in my area. Lots of forbidden areas. I don't want to invest if I can't use it a lot. Can't wait to have your book !

[@ajss3756]

Good to see your video before actually flying this drone for first time. Thanks Nigel as always. Get well soon

[@Air_Devil_Leader_One]

I love the images and how you made them. I often an amazed at what the sky and clouds do so well. Living in West Central Florida which is luckily a weatheer convergence zone the nature of these elements are simply amazing. What I have seen and heard from you forced me to subscribe and follow you always now. Your work ethics are very good and I will learn a lot using my lovely mini 3 pro for sure. They are great at videos but I really love the camera for its image abilities as a flying camera not on the ground. I have beautiful cameras and lenses but the drone is special. I still love my Mavic pro2 with Hasselblad as well as others I own but the Mini 3 is a special one for its abilities and flight times. I have not had the well spoken of issues and now it even has a longer distance as I like to go out about a miles towards the gulf of mexico I live so close to (2 miles). A flying camera is magic to my eyes. Thanks so much for posting this valuable information and ideas. Ray C Florida

[@jencosPhotos]

Thanks Nigel, very helpful!

[@thomashardy9994]

Thank you so much for the tips on composition and exposure. I see that drones can be a great tool for fine art photography.

[@cardbored_]

Great Video! Got me even more excited for my M3P which comes tomorrow. Stoked to start that journey, been flying a cheaper $300 drone for a while and ready to take the real plunge! Thanks for the content bro!

[@Retinus]

Nice and instructive! THX!

[@kristeencochran4753]

Thank you, Nigel. I want a drone, but did not know where to start. You’re the best!

[@NigelDanson]

Glad you found it useful

[@SkybroADroner3951]

Beautiful images start with a beautiful, rural living space. Nice work. I aspire to such work myself, but I live in an inner city with power lines and cell towers and massive light pollution. 😅

[@EdinBurghDronePilot]

Great video, good tips especially about taking vertical panoramics, which hadn't occurred to me. Refreshing to see someone interested in stills too!

[@christianpetersen1782]

Nigel, Congrats on the issue of your new Landscape book. I’m sure it will be a good future reference for many photographers and of great photo inspiration.

[@z33r0now3]

I've got my mini 3 pro a few days ago. now registered, it alowed me to go pretty much city center (munich) because of its weight and reduced restrictions. As a beginner, I made a nice night timelapse video flying over the river isar which divides both halfes of the city including car traffic patterns and single sources of people going for a walk with headlamps. I am just in disbelief of how good this thing is in every regard, be it flying, the new remote, the pictures, the videos. I feel so lucky to have this thing.

[@dangodin8906]

Oh Im in Munich aswell and will get this drone soon, so in terms of restrictions its fine to fly it in the city :O ?

[@BenchR267]

@@dangodin8906 No, it's not. Especially on a river since you need to keep a distance of 100m to "Bundeswasserstraßen". Although there are exceptions if you stay lower than the distance to the river (for example 10m high in 10m distance is fine).

[@flightographist]

I think this review is the one that brings me closest to purchasing one. I flew my brothers mini 2 around my rural area about a month ago, over crops, creeks, forest, down country roads, over the river, flight distance/air time easily 15 km ( not transmission distance), even inspected my roof and chimney. The quality of the images was impressive, the ease and robust flight ability, even in a 20 kph wind, was mind blowing. I knew this one was launching so I started looking into the imaging quality of both. I know the 2 is 1/3 the cost with the bundle you need to actually utilize either, but the ability to really work on aerial photography with the 3 makes it the winner by a mile. Back when I worked in forestry for a living I spent years looking at aerial imaging and was always amazed, now with these drones the potential is limitless!

[@dalemawby8717]

Loved ur vlog Nice, and glad to see ur back is slowly getting better. I feel for you as I've been through treatment and recovery from cancer slightly longer and so hard to get out with my camera.

[@BernardGarceau]

Nicely done. As always, informative and just some amazing prints!!

[@alanr1476]

Great video thanks! I'm an amateur photographer so always nice to see someone using the M3P for photos and not just videos! Amazing how all the same principles apply, just a few metres up in the air!!

[@brianloeffler6551]

I have been looking into buying a DJI drone for awhile but after seeing the Mini 3 it seems to be a game changer that I have been looking for.. Thanks 🙏

[@janmaren5633]

So glad to see you getting better! Amazing and interesting video

[@jamesss1953]

Very interesting subject thanks. I have the 4 Pro and love the Ariel shots too and in particular panos. I’ve not used the 48Mp as I’d heard better with standard? Really enjoyed this subject from you ~ do thank you. I’ve already subscribed a while ago to your channel and I’ve 👍.

[@colinballard1219]

Great video, What a lovely garden.

[@robertwhitemoto]

Great points Nigel. I have a Mavic Pro 2 and loved the video I captured looking straight down over an Aspen grove in Colorado. Prayers for a full recovery Nigel so you can get back out and take us with you :) Be well.

[@rogerdunn5988]

I don’t suppose I will ever own a drone, but boy, in the right hands they are a amazing. These images are fantastic.

[@doogyob]

Excellent video. Thank you. So helpful.

[@SteveZodiac777]

Very interesting video of an amazing drone with so much capability & potential - it's on my wish list!

[@sitogarcia8685]

Inspiring work, Nigel. You rock! 🙌

[@paulduckworth1121]

Many thanks for this Nigel Been thinking about getting a drone but was a bit unsure about what to go for and using it. This video has been a great start point.

[@DroneFilmGuide]

Great stuff! So good to hear some tips and advice on how to get the most out of the drone. Hope you get back to full fitness soon!

[@petenichols]

WoW Thanks for sharing your video so much information to use on my upcoming Pacific Island Holiday the reason I purchased the mini 3 pro

[@bobnelson2499]

Thanks for this great video. I have a motorcycle channel that I thought would benefit with a drone footage, but, as a former nature/landscape photographer I am so very interested in developing a just drone perspective. You got a new subscriber tonight. Thanks for sharing....Bob

[@uhaggar]

Thanks Nigel, I have been using a drone for videos and photography for several years now, they are really fantastic for that different view, you have Def reinforced some ideas, some I have already done previousky but forgotten alread 😝. A lot of photos I do take are close to where I am and a better perspective can be gold ✨️

[@chrisbartlett8146]

I am amazed at the quality and resolution of these photos for such a small sensor and really enjoyed this video. I am 76 and not as mobile as I once was and wonder how easy it is to learn to use one of these.

[@NigelDanson]

It is really easy Chris - probably learn to fly in 1hr or less

[@chrisbartlett8146]

@@NigelDanson Thank you I will see if someone has got on at my local photography club.

[@totalwargamer183]

Another great video, can’t wait until my mini 3 gets here. 🤞🏻 It’s in time for my trip to Africa. I won’t be able to fly in the game reserves which is understandable. But we are spending a few days on the coast and I’m hope to get some good shots out there!

[@kenfinlay9199]

Brilliant just got my dji mini 3 pro on Friday thanks for this video i have learned a lot from it.

[@NigelDanson]

Great to hear!

[@DanielUnterrainer]

absolutely incredible video!! your photos as always so impressive and i love the fact that you are printing them. i am considering to buy the mini 3 pro myself. Currently i am living in the italian dolomites and that scenery is just marvellous. I am very much looking forward to shooting some awesome panoramas here

[@hitgucvkj]

Amazing shots!

[@dirkd4514]

I had to stop it on 6:33 - 6:35. Just to take that in.. amazing. You do amazing work Mr Danson ( saw the note that it was from a different drone, but still.. wow) I'm so tempted to upgrade from my mini 2 drone. Great informative video. Thank you.

[@mariebird01]

Wow, stunning! Love the first image with the heart shape. Drone photography is something I’ve never really thought about, but your video really made me sit up in amazement and wonder! I live in a beautiful area close to a spectacular estuary. I’m sure there must be huge potential with drone footage. ‘Acres of diamonds in your own back yard’ comes to mind.

[@sijetacido]

Thank you for this

[@MacOSTen]

Just come across this vid… a year late. It’s superb, v informative & fab images. Cheers.

[@davidpalmer5290]

I ordered the mini 3 pro a couple of weeks ago and it was really nice to see your video here. Not something I expected to see you cover, but very glad that you did. I really hope that you do some more videos on drone photography in the future. Cheers! Oh, and hope your back is feeling much better or will do soon.

[@jamesss1953]

Must admit, my first drone [Mini 2] I deemed it necessary to fly high and at a distance - now, as you mentioned, I often just shoot at a reasonable height (100 feet perhaps) to get in the view I want. Exposure bracketing is good and with the portrait ability now I will try out as you say to produce a pano. Thank you

[@dndparks]

Time to upgrade my mavic 3 I guess! Well done Nigel.

[@mitchellmysliwiecphotography]

always great stuff, Nigel. I see a heart

[@skyvlogger]

Thanks Nigel. I own a DJI Mini 3 Pro and the drone is truly magnificent. I found the information about drone photography very helpful, thanks. Most of the time I make videos, but I think more and more about photography. I also have a KZbin channel and will be applying some of the techniques you showed, especially with shooting the diagonals. I really thank you. Stefan - Skyvlogger

[@anthonyplancherel8274]

Making me want a drone now 😅👍🏻 great video

[@RickBebbington]

I can't help how the farmer drives through his field 😤

[@heathermtaylor7683]

Wasn't sure what could be done about that unless Nigel thought the lines should be edited out...? But that's a whole different can of worms. Great shot by the way - I loved it's abstract nature.

[@NigelDanson]

Choose a different field? ha ;)

[@Steve.Daugherty]

Our man Rick! Not all heroes wear capes!

[@heathbarlow8769]

That's why you should always carry a rake with you😂

[@RickBebbington]

@@Steve.Daugherty at least someone appreciates me Steve 🤣

[@rhiannonlawler7313]

So helpful, just got my first drone so the timing of this is perfect. Thanks to you & Rick for the great information.

[@NigelDanson]

Awesome - don't crash!

[@rhiannonlawler7313]

@@NigelDanson moi?! Never?! 🤷🏻‍♀️😳😬

[@thanosbistolas6903]

Thanks for your thoughts on the Mini 3 Nigel. I am flying this drone for the last 4 days. What an amazing achievement for DJI this drone is. The photographic opportunities we have with this drone are really countless imo. The features packed on this sub 250g drone are amazing. I am wondering where the limit might be for these light drones!!

[@DScottClark]

I appreciate this overview. I just picked up the mini 3 pro after using the 2 for a year and I'm super excited about the improvements. Also, kudos to you, spectacular images. I feel like with most creators making product how-to videos, their content examples are usually terribly dull and unimpressive. Your book looks incredible!

[@Michal_Kosakowski]

Thanks for great tips! I have the first Mini and it shoots pretty decent video, but I don't use it as much for the photos, due to low dynamic range, low resolution and noise. I never thought I can sort out at least two of those issues, just by doing some manual bracketing and pano stitching. Great video, you just made me fly my drone more creatively :D

[@imagejon]

Thanks for the video Nigel (and Rick). My Mini 3 is on order - I hope that I can learn to use it before bringing it on the Iceland tour in August (hopefully you will be fit for the trip!)

[@FPVSlice]

Great tips!, i'm also impressed by how you are able to manually stitch together photo's without the drone doing it for you. How do you know you aren't missing parts of the landscape you are trying to shoot?

[@TheSmartWoodshop]

Nigel, great video! I am a licensed drone pilot and have been at it since the DJI Phantom ll, yet I am reminded by your video how awesome it is to get the perspective from a drone camera that can't be had with the best terrestrial kit. I shoot a Sony A! with Sony 600mm F4 and not a single image from that kit has sold well as stock. My Drone photos continue to be my best sellers. I have joked with my wife that we should sell our high end Sony gear and shoot with our iPhones and Drones. We can call out business Ron & Chris' Phone and Drone view of the world. Keep up the great work and we will keep watching. 😎🤙

[@mirkoema]

Finally someone who talk about the quality of photos of this drone! I’ve seen the 48mpx photos and it seems to me they were not well defined… out of focus… of course with more resolution. So maybe better to shot only multiple shots with 12 mpx mode.

[@mirkoema]

P.s. No dng to download and test on Lightroom? :(

[@funkam0nkey]

We live on Anglesey so every man and his camera has taken photos of our famous landmarks. I bought and Air 2S to try and offer a different perspective. It’s really hit the mark. I’m selling a lot of photos through our shop on the island. Drones can keep your photography fresh but also allow you to scout a location or find a new area to discover.

[@NigelDanson]

Awesome!

[@valrion.photography]

It was long I was hoping you'd make a drone video, and here finally it is! And I'm glad you did it with the Mini 3 Pro. So small yet so powerful. I have the DJI Air 2S and I'm truly happy with it. But I must admit the possibility of rotating the camera for portrait is an amazing feature; it's more practical than stitching together two horizontal images. And I also agree with you that DJI should allow raw panos instead of jpeg. Hopefully DJI will hear you! Great review and great video Nigel. And I'm very much looking forward to getting one of your Seascapes in my hands!

[@Mach10Drones]

Great Video. I Use a dji mini 3 pro as well and love it! Mach 10 Studios. ❤ 😊

[@randyschwager2515]

The licensing and fly zone restrictions in the US made me hang up my drone! Great new tool! I look forward to seeing more of your images. I just had triple bi-pass surgery and share your frustration of not being able to get around! Get well soon!

[@edkight6447]

This is the reason I'm having trouble pulling the trigger on the Mini 3. I live in Maryland and finding a place to fly for photos are very limited.

[@ThomasWonderka]

How could I just miss the pre-order time for your new book? Silly me! I hope it is still possible to get a book from the "Limited Edition"! Great video, Nigel .. and it made me even more interested in drone photography. Thanks for sharing your review, well done. I like your way of explaining and it is always nice to hear your thoughts. The heart-shaped photo is my favourite one, btw! Get well soon .. kind regards from Austria!

[@SteveP_2426]

Interesting video Nigel. I got a Mini 2 last year and the noise is one aspect that makes me reluctant to fly it if other people are around. Does loo live the Mini 3 is a big advance and definitely think I do not shoot straight down enough. Hope your back gets well enough to go out soon.

[@derekmidgley]

Thank you for sharing these details and suggestions. I just got this drone and was really interested to hear that you used the vertical mode for pano's manually... I was already keen to try that out, and, also manually HDR bracketing the 48mpx images. It will be huge!

[@DanBlake3rd]

Thanks Nigel. Those are wonderful suggestions how to use portrait mode and the LRC features. I have been building and flying drones for 10 years and think the Mini 3 Pro an incredible achievement. I just wish that there was an option to use DJI goggles with it! Hanging on to my Mavic 2 Pro for that reason. Subbed. -cheers

[@cmichaelhaugh8517]

Darn! I thought that I’d put the urge to buy a drone behind me. Now it’s back again full force!

[@ronaldf8049]

First up: Good video 👍 Yes the Mini 3 Pro is rather quiet but not that quiet as one could be led to believe with the start of the video. I own a Mini 3 Pro myself and you can clearly hear it. Of course it is quieter than the rest but not super silent. Also other KZbinrs confirmed / measured that

[@iphoneography]

Nice! Get well soon mate.

[@chrismiles4579]

The panoramic pictures are fantastic but what is the quality like if you want to zoom in on your taken photograph to possibly look at a building in a town or something?

[@neodraig]

Hello Nigel, I always enjoy watching your videos and tutorials. I'm looking forward for more drone landscape photography videos from you. The Mini 3 Pro is my first drone that I bought for the sole purpose of using it for photography, and it's really a great tool to get new photography opportunities, it really makes me go out more often to (re)discover my area from another point of view. BUT I have a problem with it, more specifically with the 12MP DNG files. Have you noticed that those photos (the 12MP DNGs) once imported in Lightroom have a really strong vignetting/darkening. You can try to fix that using the vignetting lens corection, but this is not enough in the case you want to create a panorama as it results in a disgracious banding effect in the skies. This doesn't happen when you use the 48MP DNGs, so it's certainly profile issue that DJI can fix in the next firmware update. Have you noticed that problem ? If so, how were you able to fix the problem ?

[@dqnell599]

There should be a 48 MP “mode” for the dji mini 3 camera. maybe this will help your issue

[@neodraig]

@@dqnell599 I know there is a 48MP mode but it is not the solution as it can't be used in AEB mode. Apparently the last firmware update fixed the problem but I haven't tested yet as my Mini 3 Pro went back to DJI for repair :-/

[@martharetallick204]

I have a serious case of garden envy. I would SO be shooting close ups of those flowering bushes.

[@NigelDanson]

The Rhododendrons are lovely this year

[@martharetallick204]

@@NigelDanson My mother planted rhododendrons in our yard. I miss her creative gardening spirit.

[@andrewknowles6731]

Great video Nigel, if this thing is as quiet as I am led to believe its a bit of a game changer for me, living on the edge of the Peak District like you my close locations tend to be busy and in the past the noise of drones has really bugged me. Now the possibility for almost infinite compositions is intriguing and I have to say pretty compelling. It will be interesting to see if we get drone turf wars as this is DJI will be incredibly popular I think!

[@NigelDanson]

It is much quieter than any drone I have had before. Obviously not silent but an improvement.

[@joaopauloferreira2585]

Great, great video. ican´t wait to get one, especially because i want to star planning my iceland trip again. did you have any problems with carry on backpacks going to iceland? and what backpack did you use? the acelandair company, the max size of caary on is...55 x 40 x 20 cm, how was your experience? keep the good work and recover well. have fun

[@kristinedetmers2437]

As I too have disability issues, I am so looking forward to getting my new "camera"! (on a bit of back order)

[@lakesrhino1]

Hope you are feeling better. Good vlog especially as you concentrated on the camera shooting stills which I mainly use a drone for. I have a Mavic Pro 2 and I guess the quality of the pictures especially if you bracket aren't that different. The main reason I am thinking of getting is size/weight I live in the Lakes and am on the fells a lot and find myself not bringing my drone due to how much I am carrying. Still trying to convince myself that is a good enough reason!

[@peterfritzphoto]

Great video, Nigel. I find I’m taking more and more landscape images with my Air 2S these days. It’s a whole new world. I wonder how long it’ll be before we get a full frame sensor in a compact drone…? I’d buy it in a heartbeat!

[@Steve.Daugherty]

Welp, definitely getting one of these.

[@donnealonphotography527]

Hi Nigel, great video, nice to see you on the mend from your surgeries. I'm thinking of getting a drone but have no experience with using them, are they easy to fly? how do you go about leaning and getting started?

[@Brock_Rogers]

Would love some tutorials new subscriber very informative👍

[@juliewatson9368]

Hi Nigel, eally great video Nigel. Excellent tip about Panos. A query- when I format my card the numbering of files starts from 1 again and there seems no way to reslove this apart from not formatting the card- but just deleting images and leaving the last one on it. I like to reformat my card regulalrly so that doesn't work have you found a work around. Many thanks Julie

[@whitehorseflyer]

@NigelDanson great tip ref vertical panis, can you tell me when doing this manually how much overlap do you aim for at the time of capturing the images? Thanks

[@Retset]

I have a Mini 2 and portrait mode is the one thing I miss from my old Mavic Pro. The automated 9 shot pano has all the shots at strange angles that I have never been able to correct in LR/PS. It also doesn't bracket very far on the +/-. As a result, for 'that' shot I use manually bracketed and aimed shots. A 27 shot AEB pano takes a few minutes to shoot! End result is excellent but I must admit I do think about a Mini 3 from time to time so I could just go back to portrait mode!

[@granthorner]

Great video Nigel did you manually focus or just leave it on infinity when taking photos?

[@steveknight1314]

thanks for reply. iv managed to sort it out if its below 250g it only needs a Flyer ID which lasts for 5 years is free here once you do the 40 questions if you put the bigger battery in it takes it over 250g so also need a Operators ID which costs £10 quid over here for 12 months

[@rappy90]

Thanks for the review. I have the original mini and was waiting for the mini 2 to come down in price because I wanted it for the raw photo capability but since the mini 3 launched I'm considering making the larger purchase to it for all the other features it has as well. Though for the price it is it's no longer really considered an introductory drone like the previous two minis.

[@leadsled213]

Awesome video...I just received my Mini 3 Pro.. Bought it mainly for photography. Unfortunately the manual is not very good in explaining all of the minutia of the RC Controller. Unfortunately many videos don't actually cover what actually happens when you press the shutter button. Right now everything is pretty much set to Auto. When I half press to focus, it lets me know when it's in focus, but a little sun 🌞 looking symbol pops up. I have no idea what that is. Also, the focus only in the center? Anyway to select the focus on another part of the screen? Is the exposure only on the center of the screen, or can I have the camera set the exposure on something other than the center? I found out by accident you can rotate the gimbal by swiping your finger on the screen. Can you recommend a video that shows the steps of taking photos with the Mini 3 Pro? I have a few decent photos, but purely by accident.... Once I learn everything about the camera, I can incorporate your tips ....

[@LifeCapturesOnce]

Wow amazing, your lucky to get a free drone from dji! I was wondering how high did you go as reason i;m asking is i actually live on a hill with landscapes views surrounded by me and according to the law i think as due to living on the hill i can only fly up to 120 meters in the UK. Is that correct… if not can you correct me. As i am hoping to get bird eye views of the landscapes.

[@taliesin1993]

Great video as ever. I’m looking for a new drone at the moment and it’s a toss up between the mini 3 and the Mavic 3. Mostly for landscape photography so I was wondering what your thoughts were on image quality and which is the better drone?

[@EricBates-ib6ux]

@NigelDanson I am very curious about the roof singles I saw in the beginning of your video. Are those some kind of Solar Panels, what are those exactly?

[@devlintube9610]

Nice video, are you using any filters on the drone? Thanks 👍

[@Jimages_uk]

Thank you for this, I have a drone already, and thought I was the only person who just uses them for photography. I wanted to do video as well, but the restrictions killed it for me. The ability to rotate the camera, along with the 249 grams has convinced me that I need to get one of these to replace my old Mavic Pro. I may even start to learn how to do some video.